Latest Statistics Show Licensed Firearms NOT used in Crimes.

Latest Statistics Show Licensed Firearms NOT used in Crimes.

The very latest statistics on Firearm theft in Australia 2008–09

Monitoring report no.16
By Samantha Bricknell from the Australian Institute of Criminology, October 2011Our Tax Payers money at work spends millions on this Institute with the sole aim of strengthening the chains they have built around our necks. They study Firearm Theft with the sole idea of formulation more restrictions on Law Abiding Firearm Owners who are trying to follow their idiotic laws. They use figures of thefts without supplying the total numbers of millions of firearm owners in Australia, or how many millions of registered firearms to justify further restrictive legislation.On investigation through the report it is evident that the sole idea of the government, the AIC and the Police is to see further increases in prosecutions for un safe storage as a means of reducing firearm ownership in Australia. Not the policing and prosecuting of the Firearm Thieves as their figures show that the emphasis is on the easy victims the licensed firearm owners and that little work is done on apprehending the wrong doers as only 13 % are recovered. What is more revealing in this report is that throughout Australia during these years only 3 % of stolen firearms have been used in serious crime and only one loss of life ‘manslaughter’. That show to me that the registration of Long Arms and the restrictions on storage is only a government strategy to push out the licensed firearm owner. It is evident from this report that they are not happy that licensed firearm ownership is increasing. Just a mental comparison with stolen vehicles where the deaths between 2004 and 2009 would be in if not hundreds thousand. Where for instance, vehicle owners do not have to lock them up in a safe or get charged for allowing non licensed persons access to the keys. This all shows that the government/police excuse of we do not want these to fall into the hands of Criminals is exposed as a phoney sham. Registration did not solve a crime of save a life in 4 years nor did the security restrictions. More people would be murdered by stolen bottles of beer. Ron Owen

Firearm theft in Australia 2008–09

Monitoring report no.16

Theft represents one of most likely sources of firearms for the illicit market. Between 2004–05 and 2008–09, an average of 1,545 firearms were reported as stolen to Australian state and territory police. The National Firearm Theft Monitoring Program (NFTMP), which covered the period 2004–05 to 2008–09, was established at the Australian Institute of Criminology to compile more detailed information on the nature and characteristics of reported firearm theft events.

Proceedings Against Firearm Owners

Table 30: Proceeding against firearm owners found in breach of firearm laws

The proportion of firearm owners found in breach of firearm laws and not proceeded against increased from 22 percent in 2005–06 to 36 percent in 2008–09.

Charges laid

A total of 101 charges were laid (or pending) against 82 owners who reported stolen firearms in 2008–09 (see Table 31). Thirteen firearm owners (16%) had multiple charges against them. The failure to secure or correctly store firearms was once again the most common offence firearm owners were charged with, making up 57 percent of all charges laid. The possession of an unregistered firearm accounted for eight percent of charges, as did the failure to possess the appropriate licence for the firearm stolen.

Proceeding against offenders

Offenders responsible for, or found in possession of firearms associated with, 13 percent of reported incidents of firearm theft in 2008–09 were subsequently apprehended and dealt with (see Table 34). Apprehension rates were significantly greater for offenders if the theft was classified as a general burglary (76%; χ2=21.7, p< 0.01). No apprehensions were recorded from 76 percent of incidents classified as firearms theft only and it was not known whether an offender had been apprehended from 11 percent of incidents. Of the larger jurisdictions, Victoria and Queensland again recorded higher offender apprehension rates among the larger jurisdictions and South Australia recorded the lowest (3%). No offenders responsible for reported firearm thefts in Tasmania in 2008–09 were proceeded against.

Table 34: Offenders proceeded against, by jurisdiction

n

% of theft incidents

NSW

26

12

Vic

25

19

Qld

23

17

SA

2

3

Tas

0

0

Total

76

13

Note: Excludes the Australian Capital Territory due to small theft numbers

The type of offences with which offenders were charged and dealt with was provided by jurisdictions for 70 of the 78 applicable incidents and these are listed in Table 35. Data refer to the number of incidents in which a charge for a specific offence category (eg disposing of stolen property) was laid, regardless of whether one or multiple offenders were involved for that offence per incident. This has been done due to some ambiguity in the data as to the number of charges laid and offenders dealt with.

Criminal Activity

Information on whether firearms reported stolen in 2008–09 were used in subsequent criminal activity, or found in possession of persons charged with serious offences, was available for 65 percent of theft incidents (n=392). Of these, firearms stolen in 10 incidents (or 3%) were recorded as being used in subsequent criminal activity, or in the possession of a person charged with serious offences. Firearms stolen from two additional incidents were used or believed to have been used in two sudden death events.

A total of 51 firearms were stolen from these 10 theft incidents (33 rifles, 10 shotguns, 7 air rifles and 1 handgun) but it was not specified which of these firearms were linked to specific criminal offences. Of the offences listed, firearms from two theft incidents were linked with an offender who had displayed dangerous conduct with the stolen firearm and there were two incidents in which the firearm was found in possession of an individual involved in the cultivation or supply of a prohibited drug. In another case the firearm was found in possession of a member of an outlawed motorcycle gang. Only one theft incident resulted in the use of a firearm to commit a violent crime, in this case manslaughter.

To view the full report got http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/mr/1-20/16.aspx

Excerpt from their Conclusion

The twin purposes of the NFTMP were to assist state and territory police in identifying initiatives in reducing the incidence of firearm theft and developing a minimum standard for firearm storage common to all sectors of the firearm-owning community.